Kramer's Equation at max Energy for photons is giving Intensity = 0

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SUMMARY

Kramer's Equation, represented as IE = KZ(Em – E), indicates that the intensity (IE) of photons with energy (E) is zero when E equals the maximum photon energy (Em). This maximum energy corresponds to the voltage difference between the anode and cathode in kilovolts peak (kVp). The discussion highlights that while lower energy photons have a non-zero intensity, the exact maximum energy results in zero intensity due to the limitations of the equation, which does not account for thermal effects or other factors that affect the energy spectrum.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Kramer's Equation and its components
  • Knowledge of bremsstrahlung radiation principles
  • Familiarity with photon energy and kiloelectron volts (keV)
  • Basic concepts of atomic structure, particularly atomic number (Z)
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of bremsstrahlung radiation in medical imaging
  • Explore the effects of thermal influences on photon energy distributions
  • Study the relationship between kVp and photon energy in X-ray production
  • Investigate alternative models for photon intensity calculations
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, medical imaging professionals, and students studying radiation physics or X-ray technology will benefit from this discussion.

cemtu
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TL;DR
Kramer's Equation at max Energy for photons is giving an Intensity is ZERO, how is this possible?
IE = KZ(Em – E)

where IE is the intensity of photons with energy E, Z is the atomic number of the target, Em is the maximum photon energy, and K is a constant. As pointed out earlier, the maximum possible energy that a bremsstrahlung photon can have is equal to the energy of the incident electron. The maximum energy in kiloelectron volts (keV) is numerically equal to the voltage difference between the anode and the cathode in kilovolts peak (kVp)). However, the intensity of such photons is zero as predicted by the previous equation, that is, IE is ZERO when E = Em.

Kramer's Equation at max Energy for photons is giving Intensity is ZERO, how is this possible?
 
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Every energy below the maximum has a non-zero probability. The chance to have the exact mathematical maximum has no relevance in physics, the formula is just an approximation anyway that e.g. completely ignores thermal effects or other influences that smear out the energy spectrum a bit.
 
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